1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding apparatus of a rotary press which cuts a printed paper web and is capable of performing a collect run by which cut print paper sheets are superposed and folded and a straight run by which they are folded without being superposed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, in a folding apparatus of a rotary press which includes a cutting cylinder, a folding cylinder and a jaw cylinder and is capable of performing collect run that print paper sheets are wound around the folding cylinder and superposed and straight run that the print paper sheets are folded without being superposed, the collect run and the straight run are switched in accordance with an operation conformation of the collect run or the straight run, e.g., a change in respective operation timings of a pin device and a blade device of the folding cylinder. Further, various improvements have been carried out in order to make it easier to facilitate a switching operation of these devices. Techniques to switch between the collect run and the straight run are disclosed in some patent references (see e.g., Japanese patent application laid-open No. 254468/1986, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 185777/1988 and Japanese patent publication No. 3117256).
A technique disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 254468/1986 is a technique concerning only an operation conformation of a pin device included in a folding cylinder. However, in a folding apparatus of a rotary press capable of switching between the collect run and the straight run, there is adopted a structure that a pin which is pushed through a leading end side of a print paper sheet provided to a folding cylinder is protruded/retracted from a circumferential surface of the folding cylinder by a pin operation cam (which will be referred to as a pin cam hereinafter). The pin cam is a so-called two-ply pin cam obtained by dividing the pin cam and laminating the divided cams. A plurality of irregularities are provided to each cam, and the number of cam irregularities is changed by varying an attachment position of the two-ply cam with the folding device being paused, thereby changing an operation timing of the pin.
Specifically, the pin device and the blade device are alternately arranged so as to form a phase angle of approximately 60 degrees on a circumference of the folding cylinder having a circumferential length threefold of a cut length of the print paper sheet (which will be referred to as a length of the print paper sheet hereinafter) which is a so-called threefold cylinder, a gear x which is meshed with a folding cylinder gear is provided on one end side of a shaft disposed in parallel with the folding cylinder, and the two-ply cam is integrally provided in the adjacent manner to a gear z which is meshed with a gear y fixed on the other end side of the shaft and rotates around a shaft center on the other end side of the folding cylinder, thereby enabling the rotary driving. The two-ply cam fixed to the gear z can change an attachment phase of the two pin cams in accordance with the collect run or the straight run. It is to be noted that jaw devices can be attached at two positions of a jaw cylinder provided so as to be opposed to the folding cylinder, and a holding plate is operated by a holding cam.
A technique disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 185777/1988 is a technique concerning only an operation conformation of a blade device included in a folding cylinder. There are provided a thrust blade operation cam (which will be referred to as a blade cam hereinafter) rotatably supported by the folding cylinder, force transmitting means for transmitting a turning force to the blade cam and switching means for allowing or cutting transmission of force between the force transmitting means and the blade cam, thereby enabling switching between the collect run and the straight run without attaching/detaching a holding plate.
Specifically, a cutting cylinder has a circumferential length twofold of a length of the cut print paper sheet, whereas the folding cylinder is set to have a threefold circumferential length. A blade gear having the blade cam integrally attached thereto is rotatably supported by a shaft portion of the folding cylinder. Further, a shaft (which will be referred to as a clutch shaft hereinafter) is provided parallel with the folding cylinder, and a clutch member which can move in an axial direction and which is coupled in a rotating direction is provided to this clutch shaft. A gear which has a connection portion, which can be connected with the clutch member and which is capable of rotating is provided to the clutch shaft, and this gear is meshed with the gear fixed to the shaft end portion of the folding cylinder. Furthermore, a gear which is meshed with the blade gear is provided on the end side of the clutch shaft, and the blade cam can go into a 360-degree roll while the folding cylinder makes a ⅔ rotation when the blade cam is driven by this gear. A fixed fixation member is provided on the frame side, and the fixation member has a connection portion which can be connected with the clutch member at an end portion thereof. The clutch member has a neutral position at which it is connected with neither the connection portion of the gear nor the connection portion of the fixation member. In this neutral position, the clutch shaft can be turned from the outside by a handle when the folding cylinder is stopped, and a phase of the blade cam with respect to the folding cylinder can be adjusted so as to be associated with the collect run or the straight run. That is, when switching to the collect run or the straight run, the folding device is stopped, the clutch shaft is turned at the neutral position by a handle, a phase of the blade cam relative to the folding cylinder is adjusted, and thereafter connection is established. In case of the collect run, the clutch member is moved to the gear side and connected, switching is performed so as to enable rotation of the blade cam with the clutch shaft being capable of turning. In case of the straight run, the clutch member is moved to the fixation member side and connected, and switching is performed so as not to rotate the blade cam with the clutch shaft being prevented from turning.
A technique disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. 3117256 is a technique concerning only an operation conformation of a pin device and a blade device included in a folding cylinder. There are provided: a first rotary cam (rotary pin cam) which is disposed to a frame which is provided on one end side of a folding cylinder and rotatably supports the folding cylinder independently from the folding cylinder, and has a concave portion which carries out an operation of the straight run; a first fixed cam (fixed pin cam) which is adjacent to the rotary cam, and fixed and provided to the frame; a second rotary cam (rotary blade cam) which is disposed to a frame which is provided on the other end side of the folding cylinder and rotatably supports the folding cylinder independently from the folding cylinder, and has a concave portion which carries out an operation of the straight run; and a second fixed cam (fixed blade cam) which is adjacent to the second rotary cam, and fixed and provided to the frame, and this technique further includes a two-point clutch which matches or releases two sets of two-ply cams each consisting of the rotary cam and the fixed cam at any timing of the collecting folding or the straight run. The two-point clutch is provided on a shaft of a cam drive system which drives the two rotary cams, changes a meshing position of the clutch in accordance with a predetermined timing without replacing the cams, and switches between the collect run and the straight run.
The technique disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 254468/1986 has the following problems to be solved. That is, when switching the operation timing of the pin in case of the collect run or the straight run, it must forcibly perform a troublesome skilled operation that the folding device is stopped, then fixation of the two-ply pin cam integrated with the gear is released, and a phase of the pin cams must be changed in accordance with a pin operation timing of the folding cylinder each time. Additionally, in the folding apparatus, in order to completely perform switching between the collect run and the straight run, the blade device must also perform the switching operation, resulting in a very complicated switching operation.
Further, the technique disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 185777/1988 has the following problems to be solved. That is, when switching an operation timing of the blade to the collect run or the straight run, it must perform a very troublesome skilled operation that the folding apparatus is stopped, then the clutch member meshed with one gear is manually moved for uncoupling and set at the neutral position, a phase of the blade cam is adjusted with respect to the folding cylinder by turning the clutch shaft by using a handle and thereafter the clutch member is further moved to be meshed with the other gear. Furthermore, in the folding apparatus, in order to completely perform switching between the collect run and the straight run, the operation timing of the pin of the pin device must be individually carried out, resulting in a very complicated switching operation.
Moreover, the technique disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. 3117256 has the following problems to be solved. That is, when switching the operation timing of the pin and the blade to any one of the collect run and the straight run, it must carry out a very troublesome skilled operation that the folding apparatus is stopped, then the two-point clutch provided on the shaft of the cam drive system is moved in the axial direction to cancel the meshed state, the rotary cam is displaced with respect to the fixed cam by turning the shaft until a predetermined timing relationship is obtained, and the two-point clutch is again moved at that position in the axial direction opposite to the former direction for meshing. Additionally, the two-ply cam is provided on each of both sides of the folding cylinder, the shaft driving this is stretched from one frame to the other frame, and hence the structure is very complicated.